Again in 2006, I did a really uncommon factor: I ordered an Acura. Whereas ordering your automotive is at all times uncommon on this nation, doing so for an Acura (or Honda) is even stranger given how few combos of shade and choices there are. The possibilities of discovering what you need at a seller are excessive. Regardless of the percentages, although, I wanted to order my 2006 Acura TSX with the mix of Arctic Blue paint, touchscreen navigation and, crucially, the six-speed guide transmission. Three months later, it was within the driveway.
Fifteen months later, nonetheless, it was out of the driveway. I had simply bought my dream job as an automotive journalist and now not wanted to personal a every day driver. The TSX would simply be accumulating mud and depreciation down in a storage, I hadn’t precisely grown hooked up to it after so little time, and it definitely didn’t seem to be a collectible automotive to hold onto for posterity. After months of making an attempt to promote it (seems all these sellers have been on to one thing with their stock builds), a pleasant younger man named Chanc flew to Los Angeles with a examine in hand. I took off my RIZ plates, he slid that guide transmission into first, and off my TSX went to its new dwelling in Utah by no means to be heard or seen from once more.
Till Christmas Eve of final 12 months. Whereas having fun with an egg nog, I pulled out my cellphone to search out I used to be tagged within the under Instagram put up by somebody named Tyson Hugie. It took me a second to course of what I used to be seeing: anyone handing over keys to an Arctic Blue Acura TSX with a purple bow on high. “Wait, what?” I exclaimed.
“I’m an Acura model aficionado, some name me an addict,” Hugie defined to me on an episode of the Autoblog Podcast recorded within the TSX itself. That’s placing it frivolously, and it’s an dependancy that’s resulted in fairly the next on Instagram and YouTube, the place he paperwork his assortment/tasks.
“I’ve been a fan of Honda and Acura merchandise because the late ‘90s. At any time when I come throughout a very uncommon mannequin, it form of stays with me a very long time.”
His accumulating began again in 2011 after Acura threw a red-carpet occasion for him, and extra notably, the Acura Legend he owned that rolled over 500,000 miles. It has since crested 585,400. Almost 30 different Acuras and Hondas have come, gone and stayed alongside it in Hugie’s storage since then. The record of vehicles that resided there sooner or later in 2022 alone is form of awe-inspiring: a ’92 NSX, two Integras (a ’92 GS-R and ’89 LS 5-Door), 5 Legends (’88 and ’94 Sedan and ’90, ’94, ’95 Coupes), an’02 RSX Sort-S, a ’96 SLX (look it up children), an ’07 TL Sort S, a ’21 TLX Sort S, an ’89 Prelude Si and an ’04 S2000. Oh, and a 2006 Acura TSX 6-Velocity in Arctic Blue.
“My brother had a classmate from southern Utah who I knew had a blue 2006 TSX six-speed guide,” Hugie mentioned. “That automotive was one I’ve at all times had on my guidelines at the back of my thoughts. How cool is that shade? You by no means see them.”
He first noticed it in 2013 whereas passing by means of southern Utah, in that ’92 NSX no much less.
“The TSX nonetheless seemed fairly darn good. It was solely seven years outdated at a time,” Hugie continued. “However the next decade wasn’t as pleasant to it. (Chanc) ended up shopping for an EV as his every day driver; the TSX was relegated to aspect parking at his home, and the solar in southern Utah was not pleasant to it. The paint bought completely destroyed. I don’t suppose the automotive was as actively exercised as a lot, in order that contributed some deterioration as effectively.”
This positively isn’t the one TSX on the market with paint that appears like this. In reality, it’s extra the rule than the exception. To be frank, Honda and Acura paint, no less than from this period and earlier, wasn’t precisely one of the best.
“I used to be after Chanc to let me give this automotive dwelling,” Hugie mentioned. “I knew full effectively that this automotive was a uncommon spec to start with, and I feel there’s at all times some heartstrings being tugged at that this automotive deserved higher than to finally simply be on Craigslist offered to some faculty child who’d run it into the bottom.”
He lastly pried the TSX out of Chanc’s fingers final December with 187,673 miles on the clock, which is, in fact, once I was alerted to “my” TSX’s continued existence. Though I used to be by no means particularly hooked up to it, I couldn’t have been happier that Chanc had loved it a lot over time and nonetheless had it. That it might proceed to reside on with Hugie or whomever he finally sells it to is even higher. I’m positive most of you studying this could equally like to know that an outdated automotive good friend was nonetheless being cared for as a substitute of being abused or rotting away in some junkyard awaiting a photoshoot by Murilee Martin.
The story doesn’t finish there, nonetheless. There was work to be finished. First issues on the guidelines have been fundamental security gadgets: tires, brakes and fluids. Ultimately, he would change each headlight assemblies and fog lamps, the clutch, battery and brake pedal pads, plus resurface the flywheel. He even discovered new OEM flooring mats. The large-ticket merchandise, nonetheless, and a very powerful, was the physique work, which despatched the automotive to Apex Moist Werks in Phoenix for 2 months. That included a full repaint of the Arctic Blue Pearl, plus the addition of a decklid spoiler and uncommon European Accord R physique package. Oh, and the deletion of the window tint I had dealer-installed.
“All the things else is ‘as James drove it off the showroom flooring’” Hugie mentioned.
Properly, I’d be the choose of that, as a result of because it turned out, Hugie and I’d each be crossing paths on the Acura Integra Sort S first drive occasion in early June. As if letting me know any of this was happening wasn’t good sufficient, he drove the TSX out to Ojai, Calif., and left the keys with me for a reunion weekend. I do know, proper, how cool is that this man?
The inside might be essentially the most spectacular factor. Whereas fading paint is commonly out of the management of a automotive’s proprietor, the inside situation can positively be managed, and Chanc did an amazing job over time. Aside from some anticipated utilization put on on the driving force seat aspect bolster, the flip sign and metallic shift knob topper, I’m not exaggerating once I say the inside seems to be precisely the identical. All the things works, too, together with that navigation system I ordered. It bought me the place I wanted to go and was simply as simple to program as at all times – I even remembered the precise sequence of instructions to shortly enter a vacation spot with the voice instructions.
I finally selected that possibility for the touchscreen and improved performance it added, although, particularly for a newfangled automotive characteristic I had lately fallen in love with: satellite tv for pc radio. The display screen concurrently exhibits six presets and track info – precisely correctly, if solely immediately’s automotive makers didn’t maintain making an attempt to reinvent what Acura found out almost 20 years in the past. Certain, the graphics are extraordinarily dated, however in contrast to most navi-equipped vehicles from this period, it nonetheless advantages the automotive. The display screen measurement and accompanying management format are additionally fairly just like what you’d discover in vehicles immediately. Seems the TSX inside was forward of its time.
The driving expertise is extra of its time. True, after about 189,000 miles, this TSX’s 2.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-four is a testomony to Honda engineering. It sounds and runs precisely the identical, zinging as much as its 7,100-rpm redline. That additionally means it jogged my memory that this was the automotive that made me notice I want vehicles with a number of torque. This automotive has little or no: 164 pound-feet at 4,500 rpm. Its 205 horsepower is achieved at 7,000 rpm. By comparability, immediately’s turbocharged Integra produces 200 hp at 6,000 and, crucially, 192 lb-ft at 1,800 by means of to five,000 rpm. In different phrases, it’s important to wring the TSX’s neck, which is sweet for noise and encourages you to row the oh-so-sweet six-speed guide transmission that myself, Chanc and Tyson all went out of our approach to get.
You’ve in all probability learn some description of immediately’s Honda and Acura manuals, and I let you know, these gearboxes all really feel descended from this one. Bear in mind, I drove the TSX back-to-back with the brand-spanking-new Integra Sort-S. I’ve additionally pushed Honda/Acuras from earlier than the first-gen TSX, in addition to the modern TL’s six-speed guide, and none are like this one.
“This K24, Japanese-built platform with the guide is one in every of Honda’s most crowning achievements,” Hugie mentioned, as a result of he positively is aware of greater than I do on the topic. “If they might promote this automotive because the Accord in Europe, which they did, you realize they’d numerous religion in it. As a result of that nameplate carries a lot weight.”
Now, regardless of all the work finished up to now, there’s positively work left to be finished. The brakes are a bit mushy, and the entrance suspension is fairly knackered – I wouldn’t be shocked if the shocks want changing on the very least. It’s clearly been 17 years since I drove it final, however the damping has been diminished and I’d swear the steering used to have much less play on-center. The alignment’s positively off.
All of that’s fixable, although. That’s what time and, effectively, more cash thrown at it are for.
“I like to purchase and restore vehicles that most individuals wouldn’t bat a watch at,” Hugie mentioned. “Not everybody cares sufficient about an ’06 TSX to spend twice what you spent on the automotive on paintwork. That’s simply financially silly. However you realize what? I’ll by no means see one other one in every of these in Arctic Blue with the six-speed and the navigation system.”
And the way lengthy will “my” TSX be residing in Tyson Hugie’s storage? He’s undecided at this level, however I bought the impression it received’t be endlessly. In any case, of these vehicles I listed earlier, he offered six final 12 months to make approach for the TSX and others. Previous members of the gathering have included a ’93 Civic del Sol, a ’96 TL, a ’99 2.3CL 5-speed (in fact), a unique SLX and, my private favourite, a ’94 Acura Vigor in Arcadia Inexperienced (teal) and a guide transmission hooked up to its wackadoo longitudinally mounted inline-five.
“I can’t maintain all of them. That is kind of catch and launch for me,” Hugie mentioned. “I can at all times take pleasure in realizing I may need saved this automotive from a worse life. I take pleasure in it, I’ve enjoyable with it, and generally I maintain them, generally I allow them to go.”
Ought to that occur, you now know precisely the place to discover a 2006 Acura TSX in Arctic Blue Pearl with navi and a six-speed guide. And if you find yourself being fortunate proprietor No. 4, please don’t hesitate to achieve out to No. 1. It’s at all times good to listen to how outdated associates are doing.
